There’s no bigger champion of vinyl than Jack White and he will honor ‘Making Vinyl’ with his presence on Nov. 6 at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel as the keynote speaker, capping a full day of sessions of experts discussing all aspects of the astounding rebirth of the global record manufacturing industry.

White joins fellow keynoters Darryl (“DMC”) McDaniels of the pioneering rap group RUN-DMC and Michael Kurtz, co-founder of the 10-year-old Record Store Day (RSD) widely acknowledged as the catalyst that fuelled vinyl’s resurgence. RSD is a conference partner in 'Making Vinyl', which is produced by Colonial Purchasing Co-op, a buying group of media manufacturers.

White’s Third Man Pressing (TMP) is also ‘Making Vinyl’s’ hometown sponsor and all delegates will have the opportunity to tour the new vinyl factory, which opened in February, on the afternoon of Nov. 7. Additionally, TMP technicians will be on various ‘Making Vinyl’ panels.

“Jack White is the perfect keynoter for ‘Making Vinyl’ because he knows first-hand what it takes to set up a new vinyl factory,” stated Bryan Ekus, president of Colonial Purchasing Co-op, the producer of 'Making Vinyl'.

TMP is the latest piece of White’s vertically integrated music-making empire. He’s ushered in such “nothing-can-stop-us” innovations as the ‘World’s Fastest Record’ (the fastest studio-to-store recording was released for Record Store Day 2014) to shooting a playing phonograph into space for Third Man Records’ 7th anniversary in July 2016. The record? TMR’s single release of Carl Sagan’s “A Glorious Dawn.”

Always achieving new levels of vinyl manufacturing ingenuity, White’s solo album Lazaretto – the biggest selling vinyl album of 2014 and the biggest selling vinyl album in a single year in the SoundScan era – at various places on the record played at 33, 45 and 78-rpm, among other astounding features.

White is also a member of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather, in addition to his vibrant solo career. His talents have garnered 12 Grammy Awards and 35 career nominations.

White’s achievements extend far beyond music. His White Stripes song “We’re Going To Be Friends” has inspired a new children’s book of the same name, published by Third Man Books.

“’Making Vinyl’ is bringing together in Detroit a who’s who of the greatest record industry minds all along the global vinyl value chain,” comments Larry Jaffee, ‘Making Vinyl’ conference chairman. “The conference program reflects everyone from the existing and new pressing plants that sprung up to meet the new demand to the mastering facilities and lathe cutters to the PVC manufacturers, plater/stamper makers, as well as record labels and indie retailers.”

As the 2013 RSD ambassador, White explained, “We need to re-educate ourselves about human interaction and the difference between downloading a track on a computer and talking to other people in person and getting turned onto music that you can hold in your hands and share with others. The size, shape, smell, texture and sound of a vinyl record; how do you explain to that teenager who doesn’t know that it’s a more beautiful musical experience than a mouse click? You put the record in their hands. You make them drop the needle on the platter. Then they’ll know. Let’s wake each other up. I’m proud to help in any way I can to invigorate whoever will listen with the idea that there is beauty and romance in the act of visiting a record shop and getting turned on to something new that could change the way they look at the world, other people, art, and ultimately, themselves.”

“The timing for 'Making Vinyl' is perfect as new pressing plants are springing up all over the U.S. and around the world to meet the demand, notes Michael Kurtz, co-founder of Record Store Day, which in April celebrated its 10th consecutive year of double-digit growth. “New vinyl factories going into production will help reduce the backlogs of orders independent record stores and labels have experienced because of the explosive growth,” Kurtz adds.

White debuted with The White Stripes in 1997. Their album Elephant in 2003, produced the hit “Seven Nation Army,” which has arguably become among the most popular chants in sports stadiums around the world.

In 2009, White opened the doors to his own Nashville-based label, Third Man Records, which has released more than 500 individual titles, with a catalogue from artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis to Stephen Colbert and wildly innovative vinyl configurations, including the GRAMMY-winning Rise & Fall of Paramount Records Volumes 1 & 2 box sets. Third Man Records has pressed 3.5 million vinyl units since its inception in 2009.